In the year 2000, a young SOFLES started painting graffiti in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia. Through putting in hours upon hours of work, on walls, trains, and his blackbook inside the garige (garage), he quickly rose to global prominence as a graffiti writer, illustrator, and muralist. Being versatile in his style and approach, and one of the fastest painters I’ve ever seen, has helped with producing a huge volume of work.
SOFLES ‘Compendium’ is a culmination of his twenty years as an artist and the first major study of his work. Produced by Juddy Roller, and hosted at the Benalla Art Gallery in regional Victoria, the exhibition reveals never before seen photographs and footage from the archives, a sculpture installation built by Drapl, sketchbooks on display, and brand-new canvas, and site-specific, paintings.
Reflecting on two decades as an artist, SOFLES shares his gratitude: “It’s been a long and arduous journey, and really fun. I’ve got to meet some amazing people along the way, and it’s opened the world up to me, giving me the opportunity to visit a lot of places around the world.”
What’s next?
“Adding some more arsenal to the repertoire. Learning new techniques, developing my portraits. Just moving forward and trying to constantly evolve it.”
SOFLES – Compendium opens Friday, 6 March 2020 at Benalla Art Gallery in Benalla, Victoria. The exhibition continues until 12 April.
Follow @sofles on Instagram and visit sofles.com
Roll the credits:
Shot: Luke Shirlaw (@dymskov / @artillerymagazine)
Cut: Oblvs (@_oblvs_)
Artist: SOFLES (@sofles)
Music: Toddla T x Chip – ‘Yard’
Shot on location at Juddy Roller (@juddyroller)
Photographs and intro text by Luke Shirlaw
